In the past few decades, a slow rise in the average temperature of the atmosphere in close proximity to the earth has been observed, a phenomenon that is commonly called global warming. At the present time, it is assumed that the so-called greenhouse effect is a significant cause of global warming. This effect is intensified by the combustion of fossil fuels and other human interventions in the environment, such as deforestation, since this increases the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.
The contribution of individuals to global warming is determined, among other things, by the operation of motor vehicles that consume fossil fuels like gasoline or diesel fuel. It is known from the state of the art that possibilities exist for persons to pay fees that are intended to compensate for their activities that increase global warming. In this context, for example, opportunities are provided to compensate for the emissions caused by a person's vehicle by means of equivalent compensation payments. For example, this is currently done by voluntarily paying an additional lump sum per liter of fuel when fueling a motor vehicle. In addition, as regards voluntary CO2 compensation, so-called “CO2 calculators” are known that can be used to calculate the annual emission of CO2 on the basis of the total kilometers driven per year. The compensation payments help to fund such projects that are intended to counteract the rise of CO2 in the atmosphere. On this basis, a voluntary fee for compensating for the CO2 emissions is determined that the person is question can then transfer, for example via a broker, to an appropriate project. Such projects include reforestation projects, or the construction of windmill parks or of solar power plants that emit reduced quantities of CO2 when generating electric power.
However, these existing procedures known from the state of the art for CO2 compensation by individual persons are not satisfactory. The existing procedures are imprecise and not source-specific in determining the quantity of the emissions, i.e., they do not take into account characteristics that are typical for a driver or a vehicle (for example, they only take into account the kilometers driven). Furthermore, these procedures are costly. They require the active updating of the determination factors necessary for calculating the compensation, and the performance of an individual compensation process for each procedure. Even for dedicated and environmentally concerned persons, these inaccuracies and their costly use are reasons that discourage an adequate use of such procedures.